The daughter of photojournalist Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay, the man counted as the 58th victim of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, is still fighting in court for full recognition of his death, because his remains were never recovered from the killing site in Ampatuan town, Maguindanao.
That unfinished chapter, reported by CDN Digital in a recent legal column, is now reaching a wider audience through “58th,” a rotoscope-animated docu-drama that screened commercially at Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong from September 16 to 22, 2026, after censors initially blocked its release over fears it could sway pending cases.
The massacre that shocked the country
On the morning of November 23, 2009, a convoy of 58 people was on its way to file a certificate of candidacy for Esmael Mangudadatu, then vice mayor of Buluan and the opposition candidate for governor of Maguindanao against Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr. Thirty-two journalists and media workers were part of the convoy, according to The Manila Times.
Armed men directed by the Ampatuan family intercepted the convoy and slaughtered everyone in it. The dead included Mangudadatu's wife, his two sisters, lawyers, aides, and motorists who were mistakenly identified as part of the group.
The Committee to Protect Journalists called it the “single deadliest event” for journalists since it began keeping records in 1992. Before the massacre, the CPJ had already ranked the Philippines as the second most dangerous country for journalists, after Iraq.
What the court decided in 2019
Ten years after the killings, in December 2019, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 convicted Andal Ampatuan Jr., his brother Zaldy, 28 other accomplices, and 15 accessories, including senior police officers, for the murder of 57 people. The court ruled the killings qualified as murder under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code, citing treachery, superior strength, aid of armed men, and evident premeditation.
But the court acquitted the accused on the specific charge of killing Momay, a photojournalist for the Sultan Kudarat-based Midland Review. The reason was cold and simple: his body was never found, and without remains, the judges found reasonable doubt.
“When I hear 57, I really can't accept it. I always tell people, 58, 58, 58!” said actress Glaiza de Castro, who plays Momay's daughter Reynafe Momay-Castillo in the film, in a line quoted by CDN Digital.
Why the 58th victim still matters
Momay's family, represented by his daughter Reynafe and the legal group CenterLaw Philippines, has continued the battle before the Court of Appeals for full judicial recognition of his death. The Supreme Court itself, in a 2013 ruling on one of the massacre cases, declared that “history will never forget the atrocities perpetrated.”
“It is not simply about looking back at something painful that happened in the past. It is about refusing to let the people we loved and the truth of what happened to them slowly disappear into silence,” Momay-Castillo said in an interview.
She added: “I want the next generation to know what happened; not so they will inherit our anger or our grief, but so they will understand the value of truth, justice, courage, and human life.”
A film built from testimony and archival footage
Directed by Carl Joseph Papa, with a screenplay co-written with Aica Riz Ganhinhin, “58th” uses rotoscoping, a technique where animators trace over live-action video frame by frame, blended with real archival news footage from the aftermath of the massacre. Glaiza de Castro voices the daughter, and the late Ricky Davao, who died in May 2025, voices Bebot Momay in one of his final roles.
Veteran journalist Howie Severino said animation was used to tell the tender story of Momay's family: their simple joys before the tragedy and the torturous emotional limbo of never finding the body of a loved one.
“Animation gave the filmmakers the freedom to explore emotions and visualize testimony to reveal truths that might have been unattainable otherwise,” Severino said.
The film premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival and screened at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, before its Philippine premiere at the 2026 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival on August 13. It has since reached American audiences with screenings in New York and California, drawing support for an Oscars bid, according to LionhearTV.
“Through this film, we give voice to the victims and the families affected by the massacre. It can amplify attention to the important stories that deserve to be heard,” de Castro said.
FAQ
Who is considered the 58th victim of the Maguindanao massacre?
Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay, a photojournalist for the Midland Review based in Sultan Kudarat. His remains were never recovered, which led the trial court to acquit the accused on his specific murder charge.
Why were only 57 murders upheld by the court?
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 convicted the Ampatuans and their accomplices for 57 murders in December 2019, but found reasonable doubt on Momay's death because no body was found.
What is the film “58th” about?
It is a rotoscope-animated docu-drama that follows Reynafe Momay-Castillo's legal fight to have her father recognized as the massacre's 58th victim.